Library borrowers are passionate for crime thrillers

Lee Child's Make Me, one of the latest in the British novelist's fast-paced Jack Reacher series,was the most in-demandtitle accordingtodata drawn from city and regional libraries across the country in the past 12 months.

The annual Civica Libraries Index top 20 list compiled in partnership with the Australian Library and Information Association features three titles by Child, four by James Patterson, two by Michael Connelly and three in Jeff Kinney's Diary of A Wimpy Kid series.

Magda Szubanski's memoir, Reckoning, and the Andy Griffiths/Terry Denton The 65-Storey Treehouse were the only Australian books to make the list.

By contrast, tales exploring local heritage, identity, love and relationships resonated most with Australian adult fiction borrowers.

Rain Music by Di Morrissey, inspired by her adventures in far north Queensland, was the most borrowed local adult fiction title followed by Judy Nunn's Spirits Of The Ghan and Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty.

"We're also known for producing unique stories that examine topics such as complex family relationships. It's great to see that Australian writing is also having greater appeal globally as well, with quite a few novels on the list, such as The Light Between The Ocean and The Dressmaker enjoying extended success via international film and TV adaptations."

On the adult non-fiction list, the country's usual culinary obsessions were sidelined for more diverse special interest topics.

The Szubanski memoir headed a list that also included two books by the Japanese decluttering guru, Marie Kondo, the 2016 Guiness Book of Records, Bill Bryson's The Road To Little Dribbling: More Notes From A Small Island, and Niki Savva's The Road To Ruin: How Tony Abbott And Peta Credlin Destroyed Their Own Government.

Popular films influenced the borrowing habits of young adults who continued to read John Green's The Fault In Our Stars and Paper Towns in droves.

The Treehouse and Wimpy Kid series topped the 10 most borrowed children's books to the exclusion of all other authors.